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CANBERRA, Australia (September 24, 1997 - PACNEWS)---The Australian government is being asked to tighten controls on the importation of the traditional Pacific drink, kava, into areas of northern Australia.

Health officials are especially concerned at the increased level of kava trade among Aboriginal communities in the northern region of Arnhem Land.

Kava, imported from Fiji and Tonga, is being used as a substitute for alcohol in some Aboriginal communities, and in some cases is being drunk with alcohol. Community leaders say some families are spending all their money on kava and are left without sufficient money to buy food.

Reports from the communities indicate that misuse of the drink has contributed to serious health problems, including heart disease.

Local political leaders say some communities are importing up to 400 kilograms of kava a week, and that consumption is out of control.

HONOLULU, Hawaii (September 8, 1997 - PIDP/CPIS)---Pacific Islanders in East Palo Alto, California, near San Francisco, recently established a new community cultural center open to all ethnic groups.

Named "Anamatangi," or Windy Place, by Tonga's King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, the center is operated by Pacific Islander Outreach, a non-profit advocacy group.

The founder of the cultural center is Dee ‘Uhila, wife of Tongan born Senita ‘Uhila. She had long dreamed of establishing a special meeting place for Pacific Islander young people to meet, learn about their own and other cultures, and participate in projects to help the Palo Alto community.

‘Uhila says having a convenient place for young people to come together promotes cultural understanding, and allows youth to participate in the advocacy for needed human services.

They bring representatives of many different ethnic groups to the center, she adds, which helps them all learn...

The conference participants, including representatives from the U.S. Pacific territories, Hawaii, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau, were welcomed Wednesday by Palau's Minister of Health Masao Ueda.

Among the keynote speakers was the FSM's Ben Jesse, Acting Administrator for the Division of Medical Care Services. Jesse spoke about Micronesia's approach to eliminating Hansen's disease in the federation's four states of Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohpei, and Yap.

WASHINGTON, D. C. (September 2, 1997 - PIDP/CPIS)---Guam's representative in Washington, Robert Underwood, says a preliminary U.S. National Transportation Safety Board report on the cause of the August 6 Korean Air crash that killed over 220 persons minutes before landing in the U.S. Pacific territory, will be made public within 60 to 90 days.

At a weekend news briefing, Underwood said he is "very concerned" about the treatment Guam is receiving in the Korean media and its affect "on tourism and the general image of Guam."

The congressman stressed that it is important that Korea have access to accurate information about the crash to dispel a "growing perception among the Korean public that Guam is not safe to visit."

Another of the tragic dimensions of the crash, Underwood said, was "the lack of a clear plan on the part of Korean Air to deal with the situation."

The Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act of 1996, he noted, requires all U.S. carriers to...

All four accused of involvement in the passport scam have denied any association.

They are the Secretary to the Council of Ministers, Noel Tabiusu; the Second Secretary to the Prime Minister's office, William Tari; Chairman of the Citizenship Commission, Kepwe Manwo; and the former Office Supervisor of the Prime Minister's Office, Noel Faionalave.

According to a letter from the Principal Immigration Officer, John Mark Bell, to the Prime Minister, dated July 10, 1997, Faionalave was alleged to have picked up three passports from the Immigration Department.

Faionalave admitted collecting the passports from the Immigration Department but says they were for Tabiusu.

Earlier reports indicated that Vanuatu passports allegedly had been sold to Chinese recipients...

SUVA, Fiji (September 24, 1997 - PACNEWS)---Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has appealed to the international community to agree to mandatory cutbacks in the emissions of "greenhouse gases," blamed for global warming.

The issue is critical to small Pacific island nations which fear that global warming will melt the polar ice caps, raise the sea level, and threaten their very existence.

Rabuka told delegates at the United Nations General Assembly that for economic growth to be sustainable, as well as beneficial and of quality, the environmental factor must be brought to the forefront in all countries' development efforts.

He said "there is still no clear commitment on the part of many developed countries to work towards achieving such environmental goals as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to internationally specified limits."

Rabuka said South Pacific island states were "among the most vulnerable" to climate change from...

The charges related to a trip the Minister made to the Olympic Games in Atlanta last year without obtaining permission from the Speaker of Tonga's Parliament, Hon. Fusitu'a.

Tupou faced impeachment proceedings over the matter.

Parliament was due to consider eight separate charges against the Justice Minister next week but Tupou apologized and Parliament then voted 12 to 6 to accept the apology and drop the charges.

The move to impeach Tupou was driven by Tonga's pro-democracy movement and by MPs who represent commoners rather than Tonga's nobles.

They say the result is disappointing and unfair, given that pro-democracy campaigners charged by Parliament with various offenses earlier had to go all the way to the Supreme Court to clear their names.

APIA, Samoa (August 31, 1997 - PACNEWS)---Two Royal Australian Navy boats have arrived in Samoa for training exercises with the crew of Samoa's Nafanua, a maritime patrol boat.

The Nafanua was donated to Samoa by the Australian government for use in rescue operations, patrolling Samoa's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and general law-enforcement purposes.

Acting Australian High Commissioner in the Samoan capital of Apia, Melanie Davis, says the visit of the HMAS Bendigo and HMAS Gladstone is part of an ongoing program of good will and training tours of the South Pacific organized by the Australian Navy.

Meantime, the Nafuna's captain, Lorenese Neru, says his ship and crew have been very busy in recent months rescuing fishermen missing at sea. Twelve mission have been carried out so far this year, he notes, compared to only eight during all of last year, with 14 fishermen dead or are missing without a trace in just the last several months.

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.